As summer approaches, parents often begin to think about ways to keep kids mentally active when school is out. Letting children play video games all day or watch television all night is not making the most of their intellect and potential to learn new things. Here are some fun and creative activities for the kids that will keep them happily occupied in a productive way.
Summer Camp
Signing children up for summer camp has become a legendary childhood experience for children of several generations. Playing sports, enacting skits, making new friends, and exploring nature are just some of the wonderful things that children get to do while away from home. In fact, being away from parents is part of the fun and can help improve independence. Camp activities can be themed toward sports, science, the outdoors, or religious orientation among others. Your child will love spending carefree days having fun with all kinds of new experiences among peers who may come from similar backgrounds.
History and Museums
Plan a summer tour of local historical sites and museums that will be of interest to children old enough to appreciate them. Take time to learn about these special places before visiting and talk about them afterward. You may even want to have the kids compare the sites visited to see which they liked best or least, which in itself is a great learning activity. Souvenirs and mementos can be part of the tour to give the children a tangible memory of their visits to these interesting places.
Culinary Adventures
If your children enjoy cooking or eating new foods, plan a different new meal each week. These can be based on different countries and feature French, Mexican, or Middle Eastern food, for example. Or you can focus on cuisines based on tastes, textures, and presentations. Spicy food could be the theme for one week while soups or stews might be on another week’s menu. Unusual desserts like Baked Alaska will entertain the younger kids at least. Let them help plan the menu, including the budget for the meal, along with decorating the table and preparing the food. They will learn a great deal from each step of the experience.
Library Membership
Reading is one of the best self-teaching tools around, and it is free at the library. However, while encouraging children to read is important, libraries also offer a variety of other great activities. Some libraries offer workshops for gardening, writing, and acting along with many other topics. You can even sign them up for crafting activities hosted by the library. Taking advantage of your local library’s resources will help your child flourish creatively.
Try these activities to keep your children’s minds active and engaged with the world around them. While keeping your child’s mind active is important, you should make sure that there is plenty of variety to keep them interested. Following a few of the tips listed above can help make this a summer they will never forget.
